Understanding Society User Support

Hello - thanks for this, I'm sorry if I wasn't clear in my original post but I have merged waves of data together but it is from that point where I would appreciate assistance in creating the derived variable as described. I am posting my current (partial) syntax below - if you could give me some guidance on this, I would be very grateful.

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FOR WAVE 10

gen j_ses5=.
replace j_ses5=j_jbnssec5 if j_jbnssec5!=. & j_jbnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=i_jbnssec5 if j_ses5==. & i_jbnssec5!=. & i_jbnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=h_jbnssec5 if j_ses5==. & h_jbnssec5!=. & h_jbnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=g_jbnssec5 if j_ses5==. & g_jbnssec5!=. & g_jbnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=f_jbnssec5 if j_ses5==. & f_jbnssec5!=. & f_jbnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=e_jbnssec5 if j_ses5==. & e_jbnssec5!=. & e_jbnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=d_jbnssec5 if j_ses5==. & d_jbnssec5!=. & d_jbnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=c_jbnssec5 if j_ses5==. & c_jbnssec5!=. & c_jbnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=b_jbnssec5 if j_ses5==. & b_jbnssec5!=. & b_jbnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=a_jbnssec5 if j_ses5==. & a_jbnssec5!=. & a_jbnssec5>0

replace j_ses5=j_jlnssec5 if j_ses5==. & j_jlnssec5!=. & j_jlnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=i_jlnssec5 if j_ses5==. & i_jlnssec5!=. & i_jlnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=h_jlnssec5 if j_ses5==. & h_jlnssec5!=. & h_jlnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=g_jlnssec5 if j_ses5==. & g_jlnssec5!=. & g_jlnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=f_jlnssec5 if j_ses5==. & f_jlnssec5!=. & f_jlnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=e_jlnssec5 if j_ses5==. & e_jlnssec5!=. & e_jlnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=d_jlnssec5 if j_ses5==. & d_jlnssec5!=. & d_jlnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=c_jlnssec5 if j_ses5==. & c_jlnssec5!=. & c_jlnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=b_jlnssec5 if j_ses5==. & b_jlnssec5!=. & b_jlnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=a_jlnssec5 if j_ses5==. & a_jlnssec5!=. & a_jlnssec5>0

FOR WAVE 9
gen i_ses5=.
replace i_ses5=i_jbnssec5 if i_jbnssec5!=. & i_jbnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=h_jbnssec5 if i_ses5==. & h_jbnssec5!=. & h_jbnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=g_jbnssec5 if i_ses5==. & g_jbnssec5!=. & g_jbnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=f_jbnssec5 if i_ses5==. & f_jbnssec5!=. & f_jbnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=e_jbnssec5 if i_ses5==. & e_jbnssec5!=. & e_jbnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=d_jbnssec5 if i_ses5==. & d_jbnssec5!=. & d_jbnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=c_jbnssec5 if i_ses5==. & c_jbnssec5!=. & c_jbnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=b_jbnssec5 if i_ses5==. & b_jbnssec5!=. & b_jbnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=a_jbnssec5 if i_ses5==. & a_jbnssec5!=. & a_jbnssec5>0

replace i_ses5=i_jlnssec5 if i_ses5==. & i_jlnssec5!=. & i_jlnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=h_jlnssec5 if i_ses5==. & h_jlnssec5!=. & h_jlnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=g_jlnssec5 if i_ses5==. & g_jlnssec5!=. & g_jlnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=f_jlnssec5 if i_ses5==. & f_jlnssec5!=. & f_jlnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=e_jlnssec5 if i_ses5==. & e_jlnssec5!=. & e_jlnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=d_jlnssec5 if i_ses5==. & d_jlnssec5!=. & d_jlnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=c_jlnssec5 if i_ses5==. & c_jlnssec5!=. & c_jlnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=b_jlnssec5 if i_ses5==. & b_jlnssec5!=. & b_jlnssec5>0
replace i_ses5=a_jlnssec5 if i_ses5==. & a_jlnssec5!=. & a_jlnssec5>0

ETC.

Best wishes,
Neil

Understanding Society User Support Team wrote in #note-1:

Hello,

To create this variable for those who were interviewed previously and currently not working, you will need to combine data from different waves. There are two ways to do this - in a wide format or in a long format. The Stata syntax for merging indresp data files in a wide and long format are here: https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/documentation/mainstage/syntax
Click on tab "UKHLS deposited syntax" and look for syntax files under the headers: "Merging individual files across waves into wide format" & "Merging individual files across waves into long format"

Hope this helps.

Best wishes,
Understanding Society User Support Team

Yes, but I would change the order and use jbnssec5_dv followed by jlnssec5_dv at each wave. Here is a compact version of the code for Wave 10

use pidp j_jbnssec5 j_jlnssec5 using j_indresp, clear
mvdecode _all, mv(-9/-1)
generat j_ses5=.
replace j_ses5=j_jbnssec5 if j_jbnssec5<. & j_jbnssec5>0
replace j_ses5=j_jlnssec5 if j_jlnssec5<. & j_jlnssec5>0 & j_ses5==.
keep pidp j_ses5 j_jbnssec5 j_jlnssec5
foreach w in i h g f e d c b a {
merge 1:1 pidp using `w'_indresp, ///
nogen keepus(`w'_jbnssec5 `w'_jlnssec5) keep(1 3)
mvdecode _all, mv(-9/-1)
replace j_ses5=`w'_jbnssec5 if `w'_jbnssec5<. & `w'_jbnssec5>0 & j_ses5==.
replace j_ses5=`w'_jlnssec5 if `w'_jlnssec5<. & `w'_jlnssec5>0 & j_ses5==.
}

As always, please check a few cases to make sure the code is working the way you expect it to.